How likely are you to stick with your New Year's resolution to work out more and eat healthier? Would you bet on it?
The website healthywage.com lets you do just that, giving out cash prizes to people who meet their weight loss goals.
Many in Metro Detroit have been winning big money for losing!
HealthyWage.com says money is a big motivator which is why they use cash-based challenges to help people reach weight loss goals.
Twenty five thousand people in Metro Detroit have bet on themselves so far.
Detroit’s Becki Kenderes is one of them.
"I had been looking for extra ways to earn income to renovate my kitchen and that’s what first drew me to the program," says Kenderes.
First Becki played with the website's algorithm entering her weight and age, how much she wanted to lose, how long she thought it would take to lose it in and how much money she wanted to bet.
"Based on how likely it is they think you are to succeed they will come up with a matching prize amount," says Kenderes.
Becki bet she’d lose 40 pounds in 6 months and she had a lot of faith she could do it, so she wagered $100 a month for 6 months. Then she started counting calories and taking her new dog on long walks.
She ended up losing 51.6 pounds and gaining a lot of cash!
"I won a total of $1,950," she says.
As an added bonus, she feels healthier.
"I used to have foot pain that I no longer have, I think because I'm carrying less weight on my frame."
She says for her, this isn't about a number on the scale or being a certain size, it's about being healthier.
"If you think that losing weight will increase your healthiness this is definitely a good motivation for that," says Kenderes.
There are many $100 winners in Metro Detroit and the company says nationwide they've paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars to groups and individuals batting on themselves.
